CORP3547 Wk19 Essay preparation parts 1 & 2.pptx

For your reference and details

1. 1 Preparing for your essay Part 1: Procedures, referencing, and style

2. Assessment 1: Essay (50%) Length: 1,000 words (+/- 10%) Acceptable range = 900 to 1,100 words Submit to Turnitin folder “Assessment 1: Essay” Deadline: Fri 23 February 2024 at 11.59 am Results release date: Fri 22 March 2024 Further info: Module handbook pp. 11-13 2

3. Turnitin submission 3 Deadline: Fri 23 February 2024 at 11.59 am That is one minute before noon, UK time You may resubmit up until the deadline To help some students who may submit the wrong version Not intended for trying to change similarity score (more on this later) Make sure your name is not shown anywhere in the document MUST keep Turnitin receipt (sent to your email after submission)

4. 4 Formatting of your essay – note that: In-text citations are included in word count, but List of references at the end does not count

5. Referencing requirements At least 8 academic sources Journal papers (preferred) Textbooks Contemporary non-academic sources News Reports (consultancies, governments, NGOs, etc.) Non-academic books Do Not: Do not use websites for definitions (e.g. “utilitarianism means …”) Do not use any website ending with “ pedia ” 5 We are looking for both quality and diversity of sources Timeliness Relevance Formatting is the easy part. Don’t lose marks here!

6. Essay Example: 6 Yellow highlights: Notice where the brackets go, and where the page number needs to be specified A few notes on being “interpretive” and “critical”. Look at the corresponding numbers on the essay. Introduce your main message Be organised with the content sequence. Here, one paragraph is about practical solutions, and the next one is about policy. We are trying to sell action research (AR) as a method. So this must be stated upfront. “Critical” - This para deals with a) misunderstanding that AR needs different techniques, by saying that b) underpinning intention is what characterises AR. “Interpretation” – This para explains further, in an organised way, what is involved in doing AR. 1 2 3 4 5

7. Do I need to worry about similarity score? Our position: Students should not be too worried just by looking at the similarity score (%) on its own. Why? Assessors always look at where and how the similarity occurs. In longer pieces of work, small similarities of less than 1% each may add up to 40% similarity index. But this does not mean the student has plagiarised. In contrast, similarity score of e.g., 3% indicates that the student may not be using any evidence at all. Therefore, whatever the number is, human judgement will be necessary. Our advice: Make sure you specify the sources from which you have taken the content (no matter how small). If you include direct quotes, make sure to put them in quotation marks “…” and cite properly. 7

8. Further resources on academic writing 8

9. Extension (and deferrals) If you think you need an extension, you must contact student advice center on ASK BAL – Extensions and Deferrals – Business and Law Students (dmu.ac.uk) as soon as possible. Do not leave this until the deadline as it is highly unlikely you will be granted an extension on or after the deadline. Likewise, if you have a registered disability this does not automatically entitle you to an extension before or after the deadline. Requests for extensions must be in writing using the relevant form ( use this link ) and submitted prior to the deadline Further information Assessment brief (module handbook) University Regulations (e.g. grounds for extension). See: University regulations 9

10. Support for your assignment Seminar Week 20 Exercise worksheet asking you to think about some important questions A chance for you to ask any questions you want FAQs combining all frequently asked questions will be uploaded at 5 pm on Friday of Week 20 Learning Zone (e.g. lecture slides, “read this first” resources, seminar discussion summaries) Advice and Feedback hours See “staff contact” section on the Learning Zone, and book using “Calendly” link CLaSS Centre for Learning & Study Support https://library.dmu.ac.uk/class/resources https://library.dmu.ac.uk//class/academicwriting https://library.dmu.ac.uk/ineedhelpwith 10

11. 11 Preparing for your essay Part 2: The content This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

12. Essay question: Read carefully! 12 Reflective essay: There are many purposes to “reflective” writing. In this case, it is reflecting on things you have read and linking theory with practice/reality Current issues: The issues you are reflecting on must be “ongoing” (i.e. not finished, the jury is still out) Required: There must be an example organisation Reflection based on evidence , not only your opinion Required: There must be theory or academic framework being used

13. Marking criteria 13 Main part where “reflective writing” happens

14. DMU undergrad mark descriptors 14 Link: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/documents/about-dmu-documents/quality-management-and-policy/academic-quality/learning-teaching-assessment/ug-mark-descriptors.pdf

15. A little more on reflective writing For this assignment: Reflecting on things you have read and linking theory with practice/reality It is meant as an opportunity to advance your independent learning, using connection between theory and practice In academic reflective writing, try to achieve the following: develop a perspective, or line of reasoning demonstrate that you are well informed, have read relevant literature and reflected on its relevance to your own development show that you recognise that situations are rarely simple and clear-cut (where possible) write about the link between your experiences/practice and your reading write in an appropriate style 15 Find out more: Advice on reflective writing (links) Birmingham Edinburgh Portsmouth

16. Avoid being too “descriptive”

17. Choosing and scoping your topic The obvious: Specify an organisation of your interest (must be current, so NOT Enron or VW) Pick one issue: The overall problem might be very broad. Try to see if you could narrow down to one aspect of the problem. Find a linkage to theory: Revisit previous lectures and textbook, to see if any theory is especially relevant Example: My process of discussing “CSR and social media” (Week 18) Focus on Facebook (as they get a high volume of publicity), but also note where the analysis might be applicable to other tech companies as well Focus on misinformation problem (which is one of the many problems with social media), because it is the most familiar issue to me and I have already been following the news Overview of situation – combination of description and (very brief) explanation of FB’s business model Central discussion point – debate re: Facebook as neutral platform or media publisher Theory: Contrasting free speech and harm prevention, based on a few ethical theories 17